In-line roller blades are now in common use and, for recreational and even practical purposes, have virtually supplanted the conventional roller skates of yore. Roller blades typically include a boot portion to house the foot of the user comfortably surmounting a narrow frame running along the base of the boot to accommodate a number of wheels aligned for rotation along a common plane. It is relatively commonplace for some form of braking device to be connected to the rear part of the frame, but they demand some degree of acquired skill and coordination for effective and safe operation. In some models, the device requires the user to raise the front part of the skate to engage a brake pad located at the back part of the skate with the skating (ground) surface. The brake pad thus undergoes varying degrees of deterioration from abrasion depending upon the characteristics of the interacting surfaces.
The operation of such conventional braking devices is an acquired skill for novices to the degree that loss of balance and subsequent injury are not uncommon during the learning process. Typically, the user may not apply enough pressure to the brake pad resulting in too slow a stop or conversely, in applying excessive pressure too abrupt a halt would be achieved and both extremes could result in loss of control with possible injury. For example, when going downhill, it is almost impossible for a user to continuously maintain the brake in operation with the front part of the skate raised, especially for a beginner level skater that could easily panic and injure himself before reaching the low bottom of the hill. In addition, most braking devices being non-adjustable may have too sharp an efficiency curve thereby precluding any gradual speed reducing effect and again the user needs to acquire the requisite skills on a trial and error basis. Some other forms of braking device provide for the application of a braking pressure on the running surface of the wheels, often resulting in damage and deterioration of the wheels with a concomitant and high replacement cost. Furthermore, the absence of any adjustment capability precludes any opportunity on the part of the user to become adept quickly at the deployment of the braking device. Moreover, the lack of adjustability means that the device cannot cater for fluctuating weather conditions that affect blading performance. Finally, braking devices are usually an integral part of the roller blade and thus cannot be changed.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved speed control/braking device suitable for roller skates, more especially roller blades.